Philadelphia 76ers: Tony Wroten Becoming The Go-To-Guy?
By Cody Daniel
Whether it’s been evident or not this season, the Philadelphia 76ers have been taking some small steps in the right direction. They’ve won five of their last 16 after needing 18 games to get their first win of the season.
Brett Brown finally has a halfway-respectable rotation that he’s finding some consistency and comfort with, and the Sixers are no longer the worst team in the league, as they’re now two games ahead of the 5-32 New York Knicks at 5-28.
But when you have a young team that’s dead last in the NBA in scoring per game at 90.9, being able to find a consistent scorer that’s slowly but surely proving to be the go-to-guy offensively helps tremendously, and that’s just what third year guard, Tony Wroten, seems to be doing for the Sixers.
Wroten has led the Sixers in scoring for the entirety of the season thus far, and is now averaging 17.4 per game to go along with 5.3 assists and three rebounds. But it’s his recent surge of scoring and the fashion by which Wroten is putting up some of these impressive numbers that point to the combo guard becoming the Sixers’ most reliable scoring option.
In his last six games, Wroten is averaging 21.1 per game, which includes five games with at least 20 points, including 28- and 27-point nights against the Suns and Clippers respectively.
And in the Sixers most recent game at home against the shorthanded Cavaliers, Wroten put Philadelphia on his back in the second half and put on a show by attacking the rim at will, which led to the Sixers’ first home win of the season.
Wroten’s 17.4 per game this season doesn’t come off as being the stat line of a guy who looks to be becoming the primary option on any team, but as one of the most seasoned Sixers available, having his fearless, attack-first mindset is something that takes tremendous offensive pressure off of guys like Nerlens Noel, K.J. McDaniels and even Michael Carter-Williams.
Philadelphia has a roster full of guys who are still learning how to find some consistent minutes in the rotation, much less becoming a reliable scoring option. But with a roster that lacks very many worthy scorers, having someone who wants the ball in his hands is crucial, as seen by Tom Moore of theintell.com.
“You would far prefer to have that ready/fire/aim mentality than being scared or cautious,” said Brown on Wroten’s aggressive play style. “I tell you what — that kid wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s got a motor. He wants so desperately to be on the court.”
There has been many times this season where the youthful Sixers have lacked confidence on the offensive end, and it has come back to haunt them in some late-game situations that could have resulted in a few extra wins.
That issue finally seems to be changing for the Sixers with Wroten taking lead and paving the way for MCW, McDaniels and Robert Covington to start rising up is crucial moments.
Of course, this won’t mean too much for the Sixers in the win column for the remainder of the season, and understandably so with the goal in Philly right now being a No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for a franchise that could be competitive in another season or two to be finding someone they can trust with that ball in times of need.